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ICABS submission calls for complete blood sports ban
25 July 2008 A submission made by ICABS to the Department of Agriculture has called for the new Animal Health & Welfare Bill to completely ban blood sports activities. Our comprehensive submission covered hare coursing, fox hunting, carted deer hunting, mink hunting, ferreting, terrierwork, the blooding of hounds, earthstopping and snaring. In our 27-page presentation, we emphasised the need for all animals to be given equal protection and expressed concern about the Department's stated intention to provide for "differentiated levels of welfare for farmed animals, protected animals and all animals". "It is our contention that all animals - domestic or wild - should receive full and equal protection from 'needless pain or unnecessary suffering' on the basis that all are sentient creatures and all should be protected from cruelty and unnecessary suffering," we stated. "If there are to be differentiated levels of welfare, with farmed animals receiving the highest level, this would be a retrograde step - the existing 1911 Protection of Animals Act does not discriminate among farmed and other domestic animals as regards the level of protection from suffering they should receive." ICABS welcomed the stated intention of the new act to prohibit "potentially cruel activities involving animals" and to make it an offence to be involved in such activities. "As regards 'potentially cruel activities involving animals', we would welcome such a provision, and would call for all blood sports activities to be included, i.e. hunting of wild animals with dogs - hare hunting and coursing; fox hunting with dogs; mink hunting with dogs and the hunting of domestic deer (Ward Union) as these activities involve the infliction of unnecessary suffering on the hunted animal." ACTION ALERT Please urge the Department of Agriculture to ensure that the new Animal Health & Welfare Bill provides full protection for all animals - including the foxes, deer, hares and mink which suffer and die as a result of blood sport activities.
Minister Brendan Smith
Mr Peter Fallon
More information about blood sports
Foxhunting: Leaflet | Photos | Videos | Petition
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